What's In The Bag Database & Tour Stats
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What's In The Bag Database & Tour StatsShinnecock Hills Golf Club · June 18-21, 2026
51 of ~156 players confirmed
51 of ~156 confirmed exempt. Local Qualifying began April 20 (110 sites). Final Qualifying May 18 / May 25 / June 8. OWGR top-60 cutoffs May 18 & June 15. Cross-verified against Wikipedia, USGA, Golf Digest, and Today's Golfer.
The U.S. Open is conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and is famous for its ruthless setup — narrow fairways, deep rough, and lightning-fast greens. The 2026 edition received 10,201 entries (the fifth time ever exceeding 10,000, one short of 2025's record). About half the 156-player field comes through Local and Final Qualifying — the largest open qualifier in major championship golf. Shinnecock Hills, founded 1891 and a charter member of the USGA, hosts for the sixth time.
Local Qualifying (110 sites worldwide)
April 20 – May 18, 2026
Underway. Anyone with HCP Index ≤ 0.4 may enter. Single-round 18-hole qualifier.
Final Qualifying — Walton Heath, England
May 18, 2026
36 holes, Old & New courses. International qualifier with 100+ DP World Tour entrants.
Final Qualifying — Dallas Athletic Club
May 18, 2026
36 holes, two courses.
Final Qualifying — Hino Golf Club, Japan
May 25, 2026
King Course, Shiga Prefecture.
Final Qualifying — "Golf's Longest Day" (10 US sites)
June 8, 2026
Hawks Ridge, Lambton, The Lakes, Woodmont, BallenIsles, Century/Purchase, Gaston, Del Paso, Springfield, Emerald Valley.
OWGR Top-60 Cutoff #1
May 18, 2026
Players in top 60 of OWGR on this date earn exemption.
OWGR Top-60 Cutoff #2 (week before tournament)
June 15, 2026
New entrants only — final ranking-based exemptions.
Not currently exempt — major exemptions expired. Recovering from October 2025 back surgery (collapsed L4-5 disc) and 2025 Achilles tear; stepping away for treatment after a March 27 rollover crash and DUI arrest. Did not play 2026 Masters. Entered for U.S. Senior Open eligibility but no decision on Shinnecock; USGA expected to grant special exemption if healthy by June.
2026-04
Phil MickelsonNot currently exempt — 2021 PGA Championship exemption expired in 2025. Withdrew from 2026 Masters citing a family health matter, said he'd be out "for an extended period of time." USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer non-committal on a special exemption.
2026-04
Players grouped by qualifying pathway. 51 of ~156 confirmed.
Southampton, New York
William Flynn (1931 redesign), with Coore & Crenshaw restoration (2010s)
1891
70
~7,440 yards
5 U.S. Opens: 1896 (Foulis), 1986 (Floyd), 1995 (Pavin), 2004 (Goosen), 2018 (Koepka). Also confirmed for 2036.
One of the five charter clubs that founded the USGA in 1894 — and the first US club with a dedicated golf clubhouse (1892, McKim, Mead & White). The Coore & Crenshaw restoration removed trees, widened fairways, restored fescue, and recaptured pin positions per Flynn's original vision. The 2018 U.S. Open became infamous for Saturday's wind-baked greens — the USGA watered/slowed the course Sunday and apologized. Brooks Koepka won at +1 in 2018, with Tommy Fleetwood's Sunday 63 the only sub-par round of the championship.
Every pathway into the field, regardless of whether anyone has yet qualified through it.
Winners of the U.S. Open in the previous 10 years receive automatic exemptions. After 10 years the exemption expires unless the player qualifies under another category.
Players who finished in the top 10 (and ties) at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont are exempt. Spaun won at -1, the only player under +5.
The reigning U.S. Senior Open champion is invited.
The reigning U.S. Amateur champion is invited (must remain amateur).
The 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, and U.S. Amateur runner-up are invited (must remain amateur).
Winners of the Masters from the last five years are exempt.
Winners of the PGA Championship from the last five years are exempt. The 2026 PGA winner (May 14-17) will be added.
Winners of The Open Championship from the last five years are exempt.
The most recent three winners of THE PLAYERS Championship are exempt.
The reigning DP World Tour BMW PGA Championship winner is invited.
All 30 players who qualified for the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake are exempt. Tommy Fleetwood won — his first-ever PGA Tour victory in his 164th start (after 6 prior runner-ups), claiming the FedEx Cup and $10M bonus. First year of the new "even-footing" format with no staggered-start strokes.
Players with multiple PGA Tour wins between the 2025 and 2026 U.S. Opens earn exemptions. List grows through June 2026.
Top 5 players on the FedEx Cup standings as of May 18 (not otherwise exempt) earn exemptions. List finalized May 18.
Players ranked in the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 18 earn exemptions. List finalized that date.
Players newly ranked in the top 60 the week before the championship earn exemptions — final ranking-based pathway.
The Korn Ferry Tour Points List leader from 2025 is invited.
The top two non-exempt players from the 2025 DP World Tour Race to Dubai are invited.
The 2026 Race to Dubai leader on May 18, if not otherwise exempt, is invited.
The reigning Amateur Championship (R&A) winner is invited (must remain amateur).
The top-ranked amateur on the World Amateur Golf Ranking earns an exemption.
The reigning NCAA D1 men's individual champion is invited (must remain amateur). Decided late May 2026.
The reigning Latin America Amateur champion is invited.
The leader of LIV Golf Individual Standings — top 3 in the 2025 final standings AND top 3 of 2026 standings as of May 18 — earn exemptions if not otherwise exempt.
A small number of special exemptions awarded at the discretion of the USGA Executive Committee. Tiger Woods (2024 recipient) and Phil Mickelson are watch-list candidates for 2026.
About half the 156-player field comes through open qualifying — Local Qualifying (April 20 – May 18, 110 sites worldwide, 18 holes) and Final Qualifying (May 18 / May 25 / June 8 — 13 sites including Walton Heath in England, 36 holes, "Golf's Longest Day"). Anyone with a Handicap Index of 0.4 or better can enter — 10,201 entered for 2026.
The U.S. Open 2026 will be broadcast across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock in the United States under NBCUniversal's extended USGA media-rights deal through 2032. International coverage on Sky Sports (UK & Ireland) and various regional partners.
NBC — Lead coverage Rounds 1-4 + primetime windows Thurs/Fri (new for 2026)
USA Network — Early coverage Rounds 1-2
Peacock — Simulstream + exclusive early-window streaming all four days
Golf Channel — Lead-in coverage and post-round analysis
Specific air times typically announced ~2 weeks before tournament week.
Sky Sports Golf — Live coverage of all four rounds
NOW — Streaming option without a Sky subscription
Australia — Fox Sports / Kayo
Canada — TSN
Japan — WOWOW
Europe — Sky Sport (DE/IT/AT), Canal+ (FR), Movistar+ (ES)
Latin America — ESPN Latin America
USOpen.com — Tournament hub: leaderboard, stats, highlights
Peacock — Featured Groups, Featured Holes — premium tier
Peacock streams are geo-restricted to the US — see VPN section below.
A VPN lets you access US-only streams from anywhere in the world.
The 126th U.S. Open will be held June 18-21, 2026 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York — the sixth U.S. Open at this venue.
J.J. Spaun won the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, finishing at +1 — the only player under +5 in a famously brutal Sunday. He returns as defending champion.
10,201 players entered — the fifth time entries have exceeded 10,000, just one short of 2025's record 10,202. The youngest entrant is Niko Ameredes, age 13, of Chino, California; the oldest is Mike Caporale, 71, head pro at North Hills CC, Manhasset, NY.
Roughly half the 156-player field comes through open qualifying. Local Qualifying (18 holes) runs April 20 – May 18 at 110 sites — anyone with a Handicap Index of 0.4 or better can enter. Top finishers advance to Final Qualifying (36 holes) on May 18 (Walton Heath, England + Dallas), May 25 (Hino, Japan), and June 8 — "Golf's Longest Day" — at 10 US sites. The other half earn exemptions through majors, ranking, and tour performance.
In the US, NBC, USA Network, and Peacock split the broadcast under NBC's rights deal renewed through 2032. NBC has lead coverage including new Thursday/Friday primetime windows; Peacock simulstreams plus exclusive early-window streams. In the UK and Ireland, Sky Sports Golf carries all four rounds. International viewers can use a VPN to access US streams.
Shinnecock Hills is one of the five charter clubs that founded the USGA in 1894 — and home to the first dedicated golf clubhouse in the United States, built 1892 by McKim, Mead & White. The course has hosted the U.S. Open in 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004, and 2018; the 2018 edition saw Brooks Koepka win his second U.S. Open in a row at +1. Tommy Fleetwood's Sunday 63 was the only sub-par round of the championship. Coore & Crenshaw restored the William Flynn 1931 design in the 2010s, and the course is now booked through 2036 (its 7th host year).
Neither is currently exempt — Tiger's 5-year Masters exemption expired in 2024, and Phil's 5-year PGA exemption expired in 2025. Tiger received a USGA special exemption for Pinehurst in 2024 and is widely expected to receive another for 2026 if healthy. USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer has said he hopes Mickelson "earns his way in" but has not ruled out a special exemption. Both situations are pending as of late April 2026.
The USGA traditionally sets up courses to be the hardest test in golf — fairways narrowed to 22-26 yards, rough grown to 4-5 inches, greens running at Stimpmeter speeds of 14+, and pin positions placed close to slopes. Even par or worse routinely wins. In recent years the USGA has softened the most extreme setups (post-2018 Shinnecock controversy), but the U.S. Open remains the most penalising of the four majors.
